Five-fold triumph for Greek volleyball in European cups
A triumphant week for Greek volleyball in Europe ended on a high note yesterday with qualification by EA Patras to the next round of the Challenge Cup. The Patras side saw off France’s Cannes 3-1 at home (18-25, 27-25, 25-23, 25-23) to reach the last 16 of the competition. In the Champions League on Wednesday, Iraklis thrashed Fenerbahce 3-0 (25-17, 25-7, 25-11) in Turkey to secure qualification, and Panathinaikos scored its second win in one week over Germany’s Friedrichshafen. The Greens won 3-1 (25-17, 15-25, 28-26, 25-18) in Athens and improved their chances of going through to the knockout stage. On Tuesday, in the CEV Cup, Olympiakos defeated Tirol Innsbruck 3-1 in Austria and will face France’s Poitiers next month. Lamia also advanced, downing Ortek Nesselande 3-1 in the Netherlands, but will have a tough task against Russia’s Lokomotiv Belgorod in January.
